Kel Carpenter

Review of Vessel of Destruction by Kel Carpenter

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Vessel of Destruction (Daizlei Academy Book 4) by [Kel Carpenter]

Synopsis:
If there is one truth that I hold to in my life, it is that when it rains, it pours.

Perhaps that is why I built myself not for the everyday storms most experience.
But for the hurricanes I have had to learn to withstand.

I know what it is like to feel your heart crack in half like a tree that snaps under too much pressure.

I know the bone-deep, all-consuming, numbness that sets in when the wind and the cold and the water become too much.

I know the desperation that claws under the surface as you try to wait through the night, and hope that come the dawn, the storm has passed.
But perhaps, most importantly, I know how to survive.
Or really, I am too spiteful to die.

Either way, my world is falling apart around me. Death and destruction are knocking on my door. And a storm is coming. One unlike anything we have ever encountered before.

This time it is not Anastasia I will face on the battlefield, but the one who calls to me. The one I cannot face.
This is one storm I don’t know if I will survive . . . or if the price of living is too high.

Review:
This one finally tied the series up, and I have to say, there were still some twists and turns I didn’t see from beginning to end. It was well based, and I did enjoy getting to see Selena further develop from what one wants to do and what one has to do, even if it means giving up things you hold dear. The end has a bittersweet tie in, and the only question I had left (besides the usual wishing it wasn’t over of a good book series) was whatever happened with Blair and Alec. Perhaps another book/series might pick up on that someday…

If you’re looking for an adult paranormal/urban fantasy romance similar to this, I still highly recommend Kel Carpenter’s Queen of the Damned book series.

Star Rating: ✯✯✯✯

Review of Queen of Lies by Kel Carpenter

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Queen of Lies (Daizlei Academy Book 3) by [Kel Carpenter]

Synopsis:
My second year at Daizlei didn’t kill me. It did something so much worse.
It killed her.
And the world will never be the same because of it.

Anastasia thought she could own me. The Supernatural thought they could control me. They didn’t realize the darkness they courted until the walls of Daizlei came crushing down around us.

I always thought of myself as hard. Unbreakable. Unbeatable.

Until someone beat me.

Now…I was broken and I planned to use all my sharp edges for the one thing I had left.
Revenge.

**Warning: as the characters mature and grow so does the story. This novel is recommended for readers 16+.**

Review:
Ah, the story was picked up and easy to get into. This book had what most of Carpenter’s work does- lots of action and anticipation. There were twists that I definitely didn’t see, and Selena took a lot more time to actually develop and work on relationships in this book. I absolutely loved seeing everything that happens at the Alpha’s home where they are fully accepted as “refugees”. It’s brilliant how the young and innocent bring out so much curiosity in her.

Finally Selena comes to see herself as she is, and when she’s ready to tell the truth, in some places, she find she literally can’t. Luckily, she has a great band of people around her, and I am quite optimistic about what might come in the next book.

Star Rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Scion of Midnight by Kel Carpenter

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Scion of Midnight (Daizlei Academy Book 2) by [Kel Carpenter]

Synopsis:
My name is Selena Foster, and I am the first of my kind in a millennium.

I thought that made me invincible. Untouchable. All it really makes me is a target…and a weapon.

The Supernatural Council is going to war, and they’ve decided what better spear than the girl that can slay demons?

So they blackmail me, and I become the property of the Council. 

They think they own me, but you can’t own what you can’t control. 

I thought the first year at Daizlei was hard…but the second might kill me.

Either way, I’m not going down without a fight.

Review:
Wow, what a drudge! This book was hard to get into, and I was 70% through before I started being interested and invested again. So many annoying things happen in the beginning of the book, all to do with Selena being a moody teenager. How her interactions with Lucas go are so frustrating, and even by the end I was still mad at her for all the time she wasted being irritated with herself when apparently the true way to get anywhere is to LET YOURSELF GO, but in the next breath, have control! It isn’t even a matter of her trying to gain skills and better herself, she just has a pity party and never seems to snap out of it. All of her relationships suffer in this book, and while it is likely a set up for the next I really hope the angst and inability to be proactive are lost/worked through. While I am not pleased with how the book ended, I have enjoyed a couple of other series by Kel Carpenter so intend to stick it out and hope it gets better.

There is A LOT of connection in this particular story with similar things in the Queen of the Damned series, which while it was written second, I do think I prefer so far. It’s an adult series, so if adult urban fantasy romance is your jam, check it out.

Star Rating: ✯✯✯

Review of Heir of Shadows by Kel Carpenter

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Heir of Shadows (Daizlei Academy Book 1) by [Kel Carpenter]

Synopsis:
There’s only one rule in the world I come from.
Keep our existence a secret. Period.

The day my sister broke that rule one too many times, I knew there would be consequences. I expected us to be sent to one of those schools for “troubled” kids—and maybe Daizlei Academy was, in a way. But really, it was far more complicated than that.

You see, I thought that world had forgotten me. Forgotten us. For years we were left alone, and one day . . . we weren’t.

It was only when I got there that I remembered the second rule:
Trust no one.

Because in our world? They would kill me if they knew the truth of what I am.

Daizlei Academy is a school for Supernaturals.

And me? I’m so much more.

*This is a YA+ Academy series with slow-burn romance and a strong but flawed heroine. It is labeled YA(+) for stronger language and some mature situations. As the heroine ages and grows so does the content of the stories.*

Review:
While I recently (starting in December, I believe) have been binge reading Kel Carpenter, this book has been quite a bit different than many of the other series I’ve read. From the beginning we learn about the triplets Selena, Alexandra, and Lily and we are brought on a journey with them. Firstly, we learn very early on about Alexandra and Lily’s powers, but I can honestly say that I had no idea what Selena’s were until she revealed it herself–an enigma that would have made me want to keep reading even if I hadn’t already been fairly invested in the story.

Selena goes through so many things that I feel so many people would resonate with–being the “oldest”/one who has to look out for her siblings and make sure they’re okay, as well as having guilt/trauma over not being able to fix things or prevent life altering things in the past (and having a complex because of that). Selena also throws herself into something she’s trained in, and I feel like many people, especially those with trauma or trying to forget things and focus on something better, also do that to escape their thoughts, feelings, emotions. Seeing her grow as a person, both kill wise and psychologically, was an enjoyable experience.

All of the main characters are rather well done and fleshed out, and like most series, I immediately started the next one when I finished this one.

Star Rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Reaper Reborn by Kel Carpenter and Meg Anne

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Reaper Reborn (The Grimm Brotherhood Book 3) by [Kel Carpenter, Meg Anne]

Synopsis:
Just when I think things are finally starting to calm down, I come face-to-face with my long-lost twin.
Turns out, being a Daughter of Death is a whole lot more than just kicking ass and taking names.

There are things like rules…and responsibilities.
Oh yeah, and let’s not forget the monster that’s killed me in all my past lives. That’s a thing, too.

There’s also this teensy little problem: James may be gone but the distrust he created in the supernatural community is still very much alive. With the tensions between Council members bleeding into Farrow’s Square it’s only a matter of time until someone does something crazy.

Now I gotta figure out what my twin wants, learn about my super badass death powers, kill a monster, and stop a war. Sounds like a piece of cake. Speaking of cake…

This whole thing started over a Hostess cupcake. Do I dare hope it can end with one?
You bet your ass, I do.

Review:
What a whirlwind! While Salem is still her badass self, it seems that when someone else wears her face people are really willing to believe the worst of her, despite proving herself several times. While she’s trying to figure out what killed her previously and is going to try again, she’s stuck building a relationship with a sister who has very different goals in life.

Great ending, and with all good series, didn’t want it to end. At least, several times in this book, Salem got her Hostess cupcakes.

Star Rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Reaping Havoc by Kel Carpenter and Meg Anne

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Reaping Havoc (The Grimm Brotherhood Book 2) by [Kel Carpenter, Meg Anne]

Synopsis:
I found my brother’s murderer, by becoming his next victim.

The asshat killed me, too. But little does he know—I came back. Again.

Now he’s going down.

But before I can destroy him, I need to resolve the little issue of me not dying. That’s twice now I’ve cheated death. Something’s not right.

Graves doesn’t think I’m a reaper, and the ghosts seem to agree with him. They say that I’m different. That I’m more.

All I know is that things are getting real weird in Farrow’s Square and dying is hungry work.

Where’s a truckload of Hostess cupcakes when a girl needs them?

***THESE MUST BE READ IN ORDER***

Review:
Damn it, James! While Salem has to deal with losing her brother a second time, she still had to figure out how to make the person who has been going around killing her family members pay. Unfortunately, James is always one step in front of her, and she isn’t sure what she is, or how to cope with what she might be. Luckily, Graves is right there to help figure things out.

I absolutely loved Marla from the very beginning, and expected her to play a very large role in this trilogy. I wish we could have seen and got to know more from her, but as always, keeping one step ahead of someone intent to murder people you care about means that other questions have to be left for later.

Star Rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Reaper’s Blood by Kel Carpenter & Meg Anne

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Reaper's Blood (The Grimm Brotherhood Book 1) by [Kel Carpenter, Meg Anne]

Synopsis:
I died for Hostess cupcakes.
I know. Tragic, right?

Even worse, after I came back I still didn’t get any cupcakes.

What I did get, however, is a six-foot-something reaper with eyes like blue fire to guide me into the world of the supernatural. Which, as it turned out, wasn’t quite like the fairytales little girls are told growing up.

Not only is magic real, more importantly, so are monsters.
And apparently, I’m one of them.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

You see, four years ago I left my hometown and swore to never come back.

Now my brother is dead and I have no choice but to go searching for answers. Except finding them isn’t easy when the secret society he belonged to is covering it up.

I gotta find out who killed him while watching my own back, because if I’m not careful I might be next—and this time, there’s no do over. Luckily for me, Mr. Single and Hot as F*ck is determined to help me keep my ass alive.

I’m a lucky, lucky girl.
Some days.

***THESE MUST BE READ IN ORDER***


Review:
Salem is a relatable protagonist that you don’t see coming- swearing, sassy, perpetually hungry, and not backing down. The characters in this are absolutely amazing, detailed, well fleshed out, and I can’t get enough of them. Even when dealing with supernatural people (and ghosts) Salem still has a smart remark to make, like “Gretel” being “Not-Morticia”. Once this series was started I couldn’t put it down and couldn’t wait for the next book.

I really liked Graves from the start because he wasn’t willing to let Salem walk all over him and made her have to work and earn things, instead of just giving her whatever she wanted. While he was always there for her, he didn’t simply tell her what she wanted to hear or make things easy for her. Tamsin was also great from the start, there for her best friend even when she had no idea what her best friend is or how she ended up learning about a whole separate world.

Star Rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Review of Haunted by Shadows by Kel Carpenter

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Haunted by Shadows: Magic Wars (Demons of New Chicago Book 2) by [Kel Carpenter]

Synopsis:
I used to hunt witches. Now I live with one.

To further complicate things, my past as a supernatural bounty hunter doesn’t exactly make me popular in these new circles I’m running in.

Shocker, I know.

Someone wants me dead.

Unfortunately for them, I’m pretty good at keeping myself alive. Not that it stops Ronan from being an alphahole.
He wants me to stay in Nathalie’s apartment and be safe while he handles the threat, all while holding Bree’s future over my head.

Not gonna happen.

To say I’m fucked is an understatement. But I’ve been in worse spots before.

Lucifer may be gone, but the corruption of magic isn’t. I have enemies everywhere.

And this time, they’re going to know what it means to burn.

Some things are worse than the devil.
To save Bree, I’ll become one of them.

Review:
Haunted by Shadows allows us to see a deeper look at Piper, who has to undergo deep introspection to learn who and what she is, and what she really wants in life. It’s interesting to see her powers and her self confidence further develop, especially while she tries to grow and maintain relationships with Nathalie and Ronan. My only issue with this book is that it leaves you on a cliffhanger where you’re left wanting the third, not yet released, book.

Star Rating: ✯✯✯✯✯